Motor vehicle



NOV. 24, 1931. MQORHOUSE 1,833,401

MOTOR VEHICLE Original Filed April 26, 1924 3 Sheets-$heet l A. MOURHOUSE 1,833,401

MOTOR VEHICLE a Sheets-Sheet z Nov. 24, 1931.

Ofiginal Filed April 26, 1924 Nov. 24, 1931. A. MOORHOUSE M TbR VEHICLE Original Filed April 26, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fatentecl Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED? STATES; PATENTFOZFFICE ALFRED mooianousnyor Dnrnorr, MICHIGAN, nssreivon 'ro PACKARD Moron CAR coMrAivY; or-nnrnorr; MICHIGAN, A, CORPORATION or MICHIGAN a moron vnmctn Original application filed April 26, 1924;Seria1 No. 709,101 Divided and this application filed October 3, 1927; Serial No.223,745.' Renewed-September 10, 1931.

i This invention relatesto motor vehicles and particularly tothe chassis construction thereof. 1

One of the objects produce a strong and light vehicle.

Anothenobject of the inventionis to fpro vide combination. bumper and sp ing supa g ;,upper flanges of the sidebars 21.,as by sev eral bolts 27. Thisarrangement of frame and engine forms ayery rigid construction ports for a motor vehicle chassis.

. Another object of the invention is-to pro i vide a simplified fuel tanltarrangementand.

. support on the vehicle.

- Another object of the invention is toprovide a narrow chassis frame so that the motor may rest directly upon it.

Gther-objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of part of a motor vehicle embodyingthe invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the vehicle shown in Fig.1, the section being substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3,;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the vehicle chassis; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on the 1inel lofFig.3;

Fig. 5 is a somewhat enlarged detail view, partly in section, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlargedsection substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 3; j V

Y F ig. 7 is an enlarged section on the line 77-7 of Fig. 3,.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse-sectional view substantially on the line 8 8 of Fig.3.

This application is a division of my '00-" pending April 26,1924. 7

Referring to the drawings 20 represents the chassis frame having sidebars 21 and several cross members 22 and 28. The motor, clutch and transmission unit is shown at 24E-and this unit is mounted directly upon the side members 21 of-the frame,theframe side members being relatively close together so that there is just room for the motor to fit down betweenthem andwforth'e flanges 25 of the motor unitto reston the side mem bers. The fiy-wheel housing of the motor is represented at 26 and it will be seen that the of the invention is to application Serial No; 709,101, filed frame side members are onlyslightly farther ber 21 is of channel section and its flanges are turned. outwardly. so that the channel:

is accessible from thefsides of the. vehicle.

The motor unit fianges 25 are secured to the and permit motor unit. 3 V 7 At the front end of the frame is the vehicle steering-axle 28 and at the rear end is the driving axle 29. A propeller shaft 30 ex tends from the motor and transmissionunit to the rear driving axle for driving the vehisprings are so secured at 33 and the re ar springs at 3e. a

s of. a v-ery simple casting for the] One of the advantages of this diagonal arrangement of the springs-is that it brings the inner ends of the springs, that is, the rear ends of. the front springsand the front ends of the rear springs, closer tothe narrow chassis frame which is used in this construction,

so that these inner ends may be shackled to the f-rame or to relatively I short brackets on the frame, and at the same time it separates.

the outer endsofthesprings, that is the front ends of the front springs and the rear ends of the rear springs, from the narrow chassis frameso that flexible cross brackets the springs to the frames Also, at the front end of the chassis it permits of a wider swingwith a shorter radius, this difference in the turning- 0f the wheels being taken care of by '90 maybe used to connect these outer ends of ingof the steering wheels. When the'steer- 5 because the right heel does'not turn sofa'r; it still has plenty of clearance at the front end of the spring. Of course the same situation exists when the wheelsare turned to the a'frame, an axle, "a spring' jsecured ito the axle intermediate its ends and 'h'avin'g fone of its end s connectedto the frame, a bumper conright. r I r At the rear end o f the vehicle the diagonal arrangement of the springs provides a; larger space for the fuel tankwhich is usually mounted at this point. 1 v 1 The steering wheels'referred to-above are.

indicated at .35 and the driving wheels on the rear axleare numbered 36, while the fuel tank, referred to above, is numbered 37. I The rear ends of the'frontspringsextend into the channels'ofthe frame side members 2l',--as-shown particularly in Figs.f3 and 6,,

and piVOt bracketsSS connect these spring ends to the frame members,th'e brackets be-- ing mounted inthe channels and secured to g g g 7 length of the spring upon flexure taken up the frame members 21 asshown in Fig. 6.

- The outer or front ends of the front springs '31 are connected tothe front ends of the frame members 21. As shown, these connections form a' -part ofthe'front bumper of-the vehicle. The bumper is indicated at 89 and it I extends transversely' 'of the vehicle and'is attached to the front ends 7 of the frame members 21 asat 40. The bumper extends laterally in front of the steering wheels as shown atl41 and at the points 42 it is connected to the front ends of springs 31. This is prefer-' ably a pivotal connection as shown at 43 in The bumper 39 is preferably of spring material thereby making it flexible so that it 49 forms a flexible bracket for the front ends of the'front springs of the vehicle.

The front ends of the rear springs 32 of thegvehicle are pivoted 't o suitable brackets 44 extending laterally from the frame mem bers 21'. The pivotal connection to these I the front ends of the front springs. I

bumper bar 46 extends across the rear end brackets is indicated at both in Fig. 3 and Fig. 8. The rear ends of the springs 32 are connected to the chassis frame similarlyto Thus a of the vehicle and isconnected to the frame members 21 at 47 and to the spring rear ends at'48.

g 'The frame members 21, as. shown particularly in Figs.2 and 5, are bent upwardly over 7 the rear axle 29 as at 49, and rearwardly of the axle these frame members dip as at 50 to form aseat for the fuel tank 47 above referred to.' Strapsf51 extend around the tank and 59 sccu'reit to the frame members.

While I have herein described in some'de ta1l,.a specific embodiment of my invention, wh1chI=deem .to be new. and advantageous and may specifically claim, I do not desire it to be understood that my invention is limited' to the exact details of the construction,

In a motor vehicle,the combination .of

nected to the frame and to the other end of said spring and being sufliciently flexible to Iabsorb the icha-uge length of the spring upon flexure. y

-- -2.'In a motor vehicle,the combination of v a'frame, an axle,"'afspringsecured to the axle intermediate its ends and having one of its ends connected" to the frame and a flexible bumper connected tothe frame and-the other end of said spring-, sa'id connection from'the' v bumpertoth'e-spr'ing end being a single pivotal connection whereby the change 1n by'the'bumper;

3. In a motor vehic1e,the combination with the frame having sidebars, an axle, a spring secured intermediate its' e'nds to said axle, a connection fromone end of the spring to said frame-{the other endof'saidspring and the end offthe frame being substantially in transverse alignment, a flexible bar bumper extending-crosswise-of thevehicle and secured directly to the frame and a single pivot attaching said bumperlto said spring. 4. In a motor vehicle-the"combination of I a frame,-ian axle, a spring secured intermedi ateitsyends to said axle and arranged diagonally of the frame and axle, means con necting one end of'said spring tosaid frame,

and a flexible bracket connecting the other endof said spring to said frame,the ends ofsaid spring' being directly pivoted to the frameandb'ra'cketa- I 1 I 5. In a'motor vehicl'e, thecombination of a frame having a? sidebar, an axle, a spring connected to' the axle somewhat diagonally so that one of its ends is adjacent the frame and its other end is somewhati remote therefrom, means connecting theadjacent end of said "spring to saidf frame, and; a" flexible bracket 3 connecting the other end of said spring. to said frame, the ,ends' of said spring being directly pivoted to. the framecand bracketi V v .6. In a motor vehicle, the combination. of thefront-end of. the vehicle frame, an axle,

a pair of springs connected to the axle and arranged diagonally so that their rear ends are adj acent the vehicle frame and their'forthe springs to the frame, and a flexible bumper extending'crosswis'e of the vehicle.

and connected to the frame and pivoted directly to the front ends of said springs.

7 In a motor vehicle, the combination with the frame thereof, the steering axle thereof, and the steering wheels on said axle adapted to swing on their steering pivots, of a pair of springs connected to said axle and ar ranged somewhat diagonally so that their rear ends are closer together than their forward ends, and resilient means directly connecting the front ends of said springs to said frame.

8. In a motor vehicle, the combination with the frame thereof, the steering axle thereof,

; and the steering wheels on said axle adapted to swing on their steering pivots, of a pair of springs connected to said axle and arranged somewhat diagonally so that their rear ends are closer together than their forward ends,

means connecting the rear ends of said springs to said frame and a transversely extending flexible bracket connecting the front ends of said springs to said frame.

9. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a frame, an axle, wheels'pivoted at the ends of the axle for steering the vehicle, semielliptical springs secured intermediate their ends to the axle, a single pivotal connection for the rear end of each spring to the frame, and a single pivotal connection for the front end of each spring to the frame.

10. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a frame, an axle having steering wheels thereon, springs extending longitudinallyof the vehicle and connected to the axle. intermediate their ends, a pivotal connection for the rear end of each spring to the frame, and a connecting means for the front end of each spring to the frame, said connecting means permitting movement only in a horizontal plane.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ALFRED MOORHOUSE. 

